Eating Well

Countertop lettuce

I am eating very well, food cooked at home. I have lowered my food cost, mostly by postponing trips to the grocery store (and, eating at home). I postpone shopping by managing my fresh food inventory much more efficiently, with constant notes to myself on what I have and what I need. I also have had a constant supply of lettuce from my countertop garden for a daily salad.

While the way I'm eating is relatively healthy, big on mostly fresh vegetables, it's also big on sauces, dairy, incorporates starches (mostly whole grain, or beans or potatoes) daily, and does not stint on meat. The meat is probably 70% chicken, 20% pork, and eggs, lamb, and seafood make up the rest. (I stopped buying beef for carbon footprint reasons.) Olive oil is my go-to fat ingredient. I keep lemons and limes, and fresh herbs, and have realized how those things can totally elevate a dish. Daily, I have some kind of sweet, candy or cookies, rarely ice cream. I only buy stuff I love, but I love a lot of sweets!

So, I'm not eating lightly, and really not eating "lite", but it's relatively healthy. Processed junk food is nearly non-existent in my diet. I shop the outside aisles at the grocery store.

Roasted brussels sprouts and a
lime squeeze elevate this lunch

I have confirmed to myself that I don't like daily cooking. I don't dislike cooking, no more than I detest vacuuming.  Both can be pleasant, and I like the results. Sometimes, I will plan cooking as entertainment, trying a new recipe or leading to a special favorite. But generally, just like other household chores, I'd rather spend my time doing other things. And, like vacuuming, the results are ephemeral, and then you just have to do it again.

I thought this long-standing feeling would change when I retired and have more time. But no, while I am eating food prepared at home much more than when I worked, I don't really want to spend more time in the kitchen. 

I'm cooking for one so much of the time, and I've learned a lot more about managing quantities to reduce waste. I buy smaller quantities (a single sweet potato) and I cook smaller quantities. When I get home from the grocery store, I write on the fridge what perishables I bought. I have learned leftovers are the best way to continue to eat home-cooked without actually having to cook. (In my vocabulary, re-heating is not cooking.) I've learned I can eat many dishes for up to three days before losing interest, and I'm focused on how long ago I cooked what is in the fridge. So now I'm pretty good at freezing individual portions of my leftovers, and I keep track of what is in the freezer.

Organized freezer

I had done some stocking up for the freezer when the pandemic shutdown was starting last year, and then I continued to stock the freezer as time went on. I finally emptied everything out of it, only needed to throw away a couple of things, and I put things back with a detailed inventory on the whiteboard on the freezer front. 

I also stocked the pantry, with beans, rice, pasta and broth. Also cans or boxes of soup - thinking that if I got sick, I could still heat those up. I discovered Mikes Mighty Good instant ramen, and bought a case of it for the pantry. I feel like I've got food to handle any kind of a shutdown for now.

I still buy prepared foods, mostly from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. I have frozen boxed dinners (Saffron Road is a great brand) and "fresh" prepared foods such as turkey bean chili. Yes, I could make these things, but see above for how I feel about spending the time to do that. Right now, I've got the money to trade for commercial kitchen's time, and I'm good with that.

I'd like to lose weight. To do that, I need to focus on a couple of changes to the way I'm eating now, I think. The first is portion control, at every meal. I want to reduce food waste, but one of the many podcasts I listen to pointed out that eating more than you need at a specific meal, versus tossing the food out, have the exact same impact on your food budget. Eating more than you need at a meal does not generally reduce the amount you eat the next time. So it's "waste" either way. So when I do actually cook, and I almost always cook to have leftovers, I am trying to portion the whole dish out into decent portions at once, and freezing what I'm going to freeze. Then, whether it's a commercially prepared dish, or one I've done, I do not need to clean my plate by eating everything there. This last point is really hard for me. I can dish myself a reasonable amount of food, but the urge to eat everything on my plate is very strong.

The other thing I need to work on, and the subject for another day, is late night eating.